Three's A Crowd
by Zaylabear
Summary: Edd, the self declared orphan with his own home, must get a new part-time job, and of course his long time bully and crush is the assistant manager. Kevin appears friendly, but how long will that last? Kevin's family is falling apart, will his friends be there when he needs them? The first person point of view will be alternating between Edd and Kevin by chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Eddward**

Today I, Eddward "Double D" Marion Vincent, at 17 years old, begin my very first job. Honestly, I'm completely dreading it. I absolutely adore science, and I have always been enamored with Mathematics, especially when applied, but grunt work is a whole separate book. I am capable of demeaning myself to the occasional cooking and cleaning, and one could say I even excel in these endeavors, but I get no enjoyment from them. Any enjoyment I would have gained from such things was lost when the geniuses I spawned from chose to travel the world for big pharma in lieu of raising their only child. I digress, there are only 45 minutes left to arrive at my destination, and I abhor being tardy.

I finish dressing into my uniform and combing my hair with 30 minutes left to walk down the road to my location. Despite my distaste for grunt work, I manage to think positively and hum a tune as I walk down the road. It doesn't take too long to arrive, I have about 10 minutes to spare, which I spend reading informative articles on my phone against the wall outside of Antonio's, an authentic Italian pizza place. The time passes to just 3 minutes prior to expected arrival so I stroll inside and alert the older, scruffy man named George that I was ready to clock in. He shows me their clock in system which still utilizes old paper slips and time stampers, I guess I should expect nothing less from a traditional restaurant. George tells me the training regimen, tossing dough, preparing the crust, topping the pizza, boxing it up, servicing the customers, utilizing the wood-fired oven, and finally preparing the fresh ingredients by hand.

As we walk throughout the back of the restaurant I get acquainted with my new coworkers, all are students of Peach Creek High so I know of them in some sense, but there are not many I have taken the time to converse with. Stephanie is a tall, slim girl with pale skin and cute red hair pulled into a ponytail, but she appears to believe she is without fault and her personality is lacking significantly. She refuses to work anywhere except as a waitress, and manages to create a sweet facade in order to rake in tips. Corey is a short, slim boy with dark skin and shaved black hair with black rimmed glasses; he is delightful, very friendly and takes time in his work to do a good job. Delilah is a short, rounder girl with tanned skin and brown hair that falls loosely into curls; she's quiet but appears friendly enough and focuses on the task at hand. Then, there's Kevin, the literal boy next door, tall, muscular, lightly tanned skin with spiky red hair kept under his favorite red baseball cap; he's loud, friendly, and an assistant manager to George.

George demonstrates his method for tossing dough and remarks, "Everyone changes it up to some degree, so don't feel obliged to follow this exactly, I'm gonna do the first three and then you can try it out with me."

I nod along and watch carefully as he spins the dough into the air expertly and catches it upon his fingertips. I have created a pizza or two in the past while studying international cultures, so I have a basic idea of what it takes to make an authentic Italian pizza and I catch onto the dough tossing rather quickly.

George laughs and says, "Hey, you're not Italian are you? You've caught on like a champ." I smile lightly and shrug, placing the tossed dough in the crusting area for Corey to work on. George slaps me on the back playfully and leaves me to take care of the dough on my own while he returns to the ovens.

While I'm working, I hum the tune of a new favorite song of mine and focus on catching the dough once it finishes spinning, which is the most difficult part of the tossing process in my opinion.

A voice perks up from behind me, "Hey where's that tune from? I think I recognize it." I lose my focus for a moment as the deep but cheerful voice shocks through me and the dough I had just tossed lands on the floor beneath me.

I blush and clench my teeth with my head down, ashamed for costing the store money on my first day as a hand gently lands on my back. I shift slightly to see Kevin to my side, "Ooh, hey, my bad man, I didn't realize you were in the zone. Let me clean that up for you," he says gently and half smiles at me.

I blush deeper and shrug his hand off, looking away as I work the next ball of dough, "It's 'Budapest' by George Erza, it hasn't actually been broadcast through any popular radio stations yet… Do you know where you would have heard it from?" I say with some surprise as I had just discovered the song from a concert I attended a couple months prior where George Erza played as an opening act for Bastille.

Kevin shrugs as he mops over the oily area from the pizza dough and comments, "I have a friend that is, like, obsessed with music, so I probably jammed to it while chilling with him."

I think about the friend I had accompanied to the concert, he had been even more excited about seeing the opening acts than the main events, I would bet that he and Kevin's friend would coincide wonderfully. I chuckle lightly remembering my friend's enthusiasm and return to my work as Kevin appears to return to his.

My shift is finally nearing its end and I am more drained than I would have expected from a 6 hour shift. I suppose it's not exactly surprising, I am more accustomed to sitting and studying rather than standing and tossing. Kevin has been working at the table behind me making the dough for me to toss as well as items like tomato sauce and their garlic parmesan oil spread, he occasionally makes loud jokes and comments to anyone and everyone within the restaurant who wishes to converse with him. I can't help but to admire his confidence and social strength, as well as his physical strength, his uniform top hugs his pectoral muscles tightly and really displays his form well… ah, I appear to be dallying on frivolities, and surely this blush is merely one of exhaustion. Wiping my brow, I shake my head of my not entirely unpleasant thoughts and go to speak to George about ending my shift after thoroughly washing my hands and face at the sink.

George looks back at the clock and says, "Ah, yep it's about that time; go ahead and let Kevin know it's time for him to get going as well." He continues with orders for a couple newly arrived staff members to take our place. Matthew is a tall, tanned man that I have never seen before, he has short black hair with slight bangs and a goatee, while Brenda is an older woman on the shorter side with pale skin and dark brown hair pulled into a neat bun, her figure is larger, but healthy.

I make my way over to Kevin who is stirring a large bucket of tomato sauce and sweating lightly across his furrowed brow. Gulping lightly, I speak, "Ah, Kevin, it appears we have been relinquished from our duties."

Kevin raises an eyebrow and slows his stirring, "What are we doing, dork? You're gonna have to speak common for me," he says with a laugh.

I blush lightly and stutter, "A-ah, George says we're free to go now." I look away and try to will away the embarrassment before walking off towards the time stamping machine. Kevin mentions a word of thanks and goes to clean himself off behind me, and I let out a small sigh. I finish marking the time of my departure and go to step outside when Kevin appears behind me.

"Hey dork, wanna ride? There's no sense in walking alone this late when you live just across the road from me," Kevin offers with a smile. He gestures to his large red truck across the parking lot and begins walking toward it without me.

I jog lightly to catch up and thank him, "That would be most appreciated, Kevin. I am rather worn out after working today. Your truck looks quite nice; did you purchase it just from the wages you make here?" I blush lightly at the personal question, finances aren't a topic which is considered polite conversation, and the words just bubbled up without warning. "Er, you don't have to answer that; that was quite rude of me. Please forgive my foolish inquiry," I apologize and play with the rim of my black and white striped ski cap nervously.

Kevin laughs, "Nah dude, don't worry about it. This was actually a gift from my pops for my last birthday. It is pretty rad, huh? Do you need help with your door or do you got it?" He hovers at the back of his truck while I'm analyzing the slight climb required to pull myself into the vehicle.

I chuckle nervously as I imagine all of the plausible ways I could embarrass myself in this moment and hold my breath as I clamber into the tall vehicle in what is hopefully a normal way. "I've got it, no problem, see? I'm prepared for departure as soon as I fasten my safety belt," I say in what I hope appears to be a cheerful manner.

Kevin laughs and walks around to his door and swings in masterfully. The engine roars to life beneath the turn of his key and then buckles himself in. "Holding On To You" by Twenty One Pilots blasts over the radio through a previously entered CD. I nervously clutch to the safety belt currently holding my waist securely and stare forward. Kevin cocks an eyebrow my way before pulling out of the parking lot and down the street towards our respective homes. I hum along to the song and close my eyes, Twenty One Pilots is one of the bands my friend has been very excited about recently and I have to admit that their music is quite pleasant.

Kevin clears his throat, "Hey dork, this is your stop. Good work today." He smiles and sends a shiver down my spine which I attempt to ignore. I smile back and wave with a small word of thanks before climbing out of the truck and quickly walking into the safety of my home. I breathe a large sigh of relief as I close my door behind me and clear my mind of the muscular boy's charming nature. He has never been so kind to me in the past, and this is likely a temporary state of affairs. Best not to let myself think anything different.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kevin**

I have about half an hour before I have to make it into Toni's, so that means I can keep building my sweet tree house town for about 20 minutes. Minecraft is one of my favorite games, I spend way too much time building my own worlds with some friends of mine. It's really just the easiest way for me to express creativity without actually needing to be good at anything creative. I finish building one last hut before saying my goodbyes into the mic and turning off my xbox. A little less than 10 minutes to get to the shop, but ah, no big deal. I toss on my lucky red cap and jog out to my truck.

I arrive at Antonio's right on the dot, maybe a minute late, who's really counting anyway? "Heya, everybody, enjoying the pizza today? It'll be even better now that I'm here!" I call out with a wink to the patrons and a large grin. Most give me odd looks and half smiles, but a couple regulars clap and whistle at my arrival. Steph winks at me with her hand on her hip, Corey smiles at me, Matt nods coolly toward me, and George holds up his hand in greeting. Then there's the dork, learning how to prepare the pizza crusts and too focused on his work to even notice me walk in.

I stamp my time card and walk over to the crust station, trying to sneak well enough to keep him from noticing me. He's humming again, it must help him concentrate… how cute. Ah, whatever, I snatch the oiled crust he's working on and look over it closely. I can see the dork's eyes widening as he starts to panic and become frustrated over a matter of moments. I grunt, "Ah, fine oiling job, my man, it seems you're pretty good with your hands." I smirk as his face becomes pained and a blush crawls across his face. I set the crust down to be topped with sauce and then placed in the oven for a pre cook and then topped with the desired ingredients.

"Kevin! What in Einstein's name do you believe you are doing? Do not tarnish my handiwork for your lousy pranks!" Edd yells in frustration, still not all that loud, but what can you expect from someone who reads more often than they speak? He's red in the face and his eyes are glaring daggers into my own.

I laugh heartily and place my hand on his shoulder, "It's all in good fun, dude, simmer down. We could cook a pizza on that face of yours." He shakes his head and turns away from me abruptly to continue his work. I probably shouldn't have teased him quite so much, I always get carried away. I'm like a child who hasn't learned to express his feelings in any way other than bullying. Ah, shit, I shouldn't talk like that. That's not how I feel, is it? I rub the back of my neck and force myself to focus on my work.

Since I'm one of the longest working members of the staff here, I'm almost always the one making the ingredients for the pizzas by hand. Today is no different, I'm hands deep in flour, oil, and yeast water, kneading and punching the ingredients into dough. This is most definitely my favorite part of the job, you mean I get paid to punch something weird and soft? Yes please! I know it's just to get the air bubbles out, but it's hard to not get enjoyment out of something so entertaining.

It's nearing the end of the night now and we're beginning to close up shop, it's only Edd, Luke, and myself remaining with me in charge. Luke is a newer employee as well, I know he goes to school with us, but he must have moved here recently as I know very little of him. He's a bigger guy, short and pudgy with dirty blonde hair, light skinned, he generally keeps to himself and doesn't appear terribly interested in friendship, but not a bad guy I think. So, seeing as I know very little about either of these guys, I have decided to have some fun getting to know them.

"Hey guys, what do you say to playing a little game while we clean up? I'm thinking we could take turns asking some questions. Here, I'll start, do you guys play any video games? If so, what do you play them on?" I ask cheerfully. Edd shoots me a look like I have just grown a third eyeball and Luke moves to the dining area to clean. I wince and rub my neck, speaking quieter than usual, "Well, ah, I play xbox, and my favorite game of the moment is Minecraft. It's kinda lame, but I just can't get enough of it."

Edd cocks an eyebrow and murmurs, "I'm perplexed, I believe that would be the last game I expected you to entertain yourself with." He scrubs the counters thoroughly with sweat glistening across his furrowed brow and I find my eyes wandering along his body as I sweep the floors. He's slim, but not scrawny, he actually seems to have some toned muscles along the outline of the fabric clinging to his skin. Edd looks up from his work toward me and clears his throat.

"Ah, shit, sorry I zoned out.. But yeah, Minecraft is seriously like so much fun, there's so many possibilities, I'm working on this awesome treetop village in a world I share with a few buddies," I say quickly, hoping to distract from my straying eyes.

"Language Kevin. That's intriguing really, I don't have an xbox, but I have enjoyed playing Minecraft on my laptop as well as a few other games. Puzzle and role playing games would be my favorites," Edd responded, deciding to humor me and answer my question.

I grin and say, "Awesome, I've got a laptop too, but I guess I just never even thought to use it for playing games, consoles were just so easy. Now it's your turn to ask a question." I finish cleaning the floors and start helping Edd scrub down the counters.

Edd looks thoughtful while he tries to think of an appropriate question to ask. Finally he smiles lightly and asks, "Alright, what's your favorite song and how did you discover it? Mine is 'Stressed Out' by Twenty One Pilots, one of my good friends brought me to a music lounge in Berry Hills and he requested that song especially for me to hear." His face falls into a troubled expression for a moment, but he replaces it soon after with his resting light smile.

I spend some time thinking through some of the songs I listen to frequently, and I finally decide on one that I would say is my favorite for the moment. "'Things We Lost in the Fire' by Bastille, a friend of mine actually showed me the song too, he was raving about having just seen them live in concert and played their albums on repeat for an entire day," I chuckle, remembering hearing their music through the headset for hours. "Hey, that music lounge, it wouldn't happen to be Vibe Zone would it? My friend Nat frequents that place to find new favorites," I ask, realizing how strangely similar our friends appear to be.

Edd's jaw drops and his eyes widen, he stutters, "N-Nat? As in Goldberg? He's a good friend of mine, I accompany him to concerts frequently, including Bastille a few months ago, he's a friend of yours as well?" He holds a surprised look on his face and looks at me expectantly.

"Yeah, Nat and I play Minecraft together, if he wants me to listen to something he plays it over his headset. I can't believe you know him too, that is seriously too crazy, dude. How did you two meet? I just met him playing Call of Duty online and we hit it off," I start rambling, thinking about my plans later that night and scowl slightly.

Edd tosses his rag in the bucket before responding, "We met at the Vibe Zone, Eddy brought me there once and ditched me for some girl. Nathan swooped in to save the day with a disturbing comment about my posterior and somehow convinced me we should be friends," he pauses looking around the store, "It appears Luke has left us to our own accord and I believe we have finished here. If it's alright with you I'd like to begin my departure." Edd looks troubled but I have no idea what it could be for, so I nod to him and send him on his way while I finish locking up the store and putting away the time cards.

I told a certain teal haired ass man that I would pay him a visit after work, I guess we'll have something to talk about tonight. Ah, what the fuck am I doing, is it really a good idea to talk to him about Edd? He's bound to find out about Nat and I through Nat if they really are good friends. What does it matter anyway? I don't like the dork, right? Right? Fuck.


End file.
